What our students say
Why choose midwifery?
Sam, 40, was a landscape gardener until a friend's home birth inspired her to become a midwife.
“I'd been thinking about a career in midwifery ever since I had my second child around ten years ago. Then five years ago I was the birth partner for a friend’s home birth, which was fantastic. It made me realise I really wanted to do this. I did an Access to Nursing course and worked as a maternity assistant for a year, to get the knowledge and experience I needed to be eligible for the midwifery degree.
“I'd love to work with teenagers eventually, in a midwifery-led unit where midwives rather than doctors lead the care.”
Jennifer, 30, explored a number of career options before deciding on midwifery.
“After graduating in English and politics I worked in public sector administration for around eight years, including organisations such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the British Medical Association. However, I decided wanted to do something more practical and vocational. I thought about a few options such as medicine, nursing or occupational therapy, then decided on midwifery after spending a day observing a friend who’s a midwife.
Having a baby is such a huge event in a woman’s life and it’s rewarding to feel you can play a small part in helping make it a good experience. There are lots of areas within midwifery that interest me. I can see myself wanting to specialise at some point, but for now my focus is on finding my feet in a new profession and consolidating my knowledge.”
Frances, 39, a former television news producer and mother of three, became passionate about pregnancy and birth after having her first child.
“One of things I really like about midwifery is that you can take it in so many directions. You can progress into management, do research, or go on to teach. There are so many settings you can work in, from a large busy hospital to a specialised birth centre, or you can be an independent midwife.
“I love working in midwife-led maternity units. For most women, pregnancy is a very normal and positive process - it’s not an illness! It’s about helping make the whole experience as positive as possible for both mother and baby, and respecting their choices with as little intervention as possible.”
Julian, 37, is one of a small but growing number of male midwives. He qualified first as a nurse, but enjoyed his placement in maternity so much that he decided to retrain as a midwife.
“Male midwives are still quite unusual, but apart from a few families who have cultural restrictions about male health workers, most women seem to respond positively.
“I have a combined clinical and office role and now also look after the maternity information system. Maternity is becoming more technological with computers used for information management as well as clinical equipment, so you have to be relatively comfortable with IT.
“I'm interested in the management of high risk birth, where there's a medical condition affecting the pregnancy, such as heart disease or high blood pressure. Part of my role is assisting in risk management to help staff learn from mistakes and change processes to manage risk.”
